Coming soon to theaters everywhere is a familiar figure from our shared childhoods who has a metaphorical axe to grind concerning environmental preservation. Born from what is arguably the most directly political of Dr. Suess's children's books, Universal Pictures glossy adaptation The Lorax expands on the story we all remember well. Beyond being a tragic tale of the Once-ler who destroyed the once beautiful land of truffula trees and bar-ba-loots, screenwriters Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, who co-wrote 2008's Horton Hears a Who!, have crafted a story of a young boy (Zac Efron) who lives in a world of artifice but aims to get back to nature—if only to impress the dreamy girl next door (Taylor Swift).

Cinema Blend's Eric Eisenberg recently shared his impressions of The Lorax's first 20 minutes. Now hot on the heels of its chipper Super Bowl spot, Universal Pictures is offering a new clip from the film courtesy of Yahoo:


Here we see a younger pre-hermit Once-ler (Ed Helms) getting a literal rude awakening thanks to the Lorax (Danny DeVito) and his band of woodland friends. It's a scene that doesn't exist in the source material, but seems as well-suited as a thneed as it draws attention to what the Once-ler is really doing by chopping down truffula trees, namely invading someone else's home and treating it with little to no respect. Of course aside from the allegory there's also plenty of kid friendly jokes and physical gags. Basically, it looks like Daurio and Paul are applying the same level of thought and silliness that they did to Horton Hears a Who!

The Lorax opens March 2nd.